Allied Health Services
At St.Giles, we understand each child is unique with their own needs, goals and situation.
Our therapy teams look to empower participants to transition into community-based supports and activities in natural environments. We do this by ensuring families and participants are at the centre of all we do.
We offer our services through Early Intervention, School Age and Speciality teams.
Below, you can find out more about our range of therapy services, our approach to therapy, the benefits and ways you can get in touch
Early Intervention (0-6)
With a focus on the early years, our Early Intervention team works collaboratively with young kids and their families, providing support to parents and caregivers of young kids living with disability or developmental delay.
We connect families to a Key Worker, a model that involves your family being supported by one key professional who are a part of a transdisciplinary team of professionals who work collaboratively.
School Age (7-18)
Our school age focus is about supporting children through the variety of challenges associated with school, community, and life. Therapy is provided in blocks that often mirror school terms, with a focus on achieving intervention or consolidation based goals.
We focus on your child’s goals, which could involve social inclusion, literacy and learning, striving to support independence, or transition to the next grade at school to name a few.
Our Allied Health Services
Physiotherapy
Physiotherapists are specialists in movement and mobility. Our physiotherapy team will work with you to maximise your health, posture, mobility and function. We can offer individual or group sessions at our locations, in your home or in the community. We can provide training and monitoring support as well as prescribing mobility equipment and assistive technology to give you more independence.
Our physiotherapists can help you to:
- Feel stronger
- Feel more comfortable
- Have less pain
- Improve balance and coordination
- Be more flexible
- Control movement
- Choose mobility equipment, such as a wheelchair, walker or standing frame.
- Improve your posture
- Learn new skills
Our physiotherapists can also teach your parent or carer:
- How to help you do your exercises
- The safest way to help you move
- How to hold you
- How to help you use your mobility equipment
- How they can help you feel more comfortable at home
Speech pathology
Speech Pathology is a specialised service that treats communication disorders, including difficulties with speech, voice and language and providing techniques to allow for communication development for a range of diagnosis and disability. We can offer individual or group sessions at our locations, in your home or in the community. We can provide training and monitoring support as well as prescribing assistive technology to help you communicate
Our speech pathologists can help you to:
- Communicate with others
- Learn different ways to communicate
- Access specialised communication aids and resources
- Develop speech sounds
- Learn how to read and write
- Get help for meal times
- Learn about the best foods and textures for you to eat
- Learn social communication skills
- Receive support for stuttering/dysfluency
Our speech pathologists can also teach your parent or carer:
- How to help you communicate
- The safest way to help you at mealtimes
- How to help you use your assistive technology
- How they can help you complete therapy activities at home
Child Psychology
St Giles’ psychologists offer behavioural, cognitive (learning) and mental health support to children and young people to support their mental, emotional, social and behavioural development.
Psychologists may also provide resources, information and advice to your family members or carers.
Our friendly psychologists can help you to:
- Understand your diagnosis
- Manage depression and anxiety
- Manage anger
- Work on your emotional wellbeing
- Understand and communicate your feelings
- Express your needs and wants
- Recognise emotions in others
- Increase your confidence
- Learn how to manage stress
- Help you learn and remember information
- Develop social skills
- Build relationships
Our psychologists can also help parents and carers learn the best ways to support you with all the above skills and goals.
Occupational Therapy
Occupational Therapists have experience working across the lifespan on a variety of functional goals aimed at increasing independence and participation, which includes support within the home, school, place of employment and/or community settings. An Occupational Therapist can help you to build skills and confidence to take part in everyday activities. They can help develop independent living skills and participation in school. Occupational Therapists also help children and young people to play and participate to their full potential and reach their goals.
Our Occupational Therapists can help you to:
- Be more independent at home, school or work
- Look after your own personal care
- Manage your emotions
- Be able to use cutlery and eat meals without assistance
- Learn how to cook
- Be able to write, draw and paint
- Get through big changes such as moving from kindergarten to school
- Be a part of your community
- Participate in group activities
- Access specialist equipment
- Sleep better and manage fatigue
Our occupational therapists can also teach your parent or carer:
- How to help you be more independent in everyday tasks
- How to help you use your specialist equipment
- How they can help you complete therapy activities at home
Exercise Physiology
Accredited Exercise Physiologist’s are university qualified health workers who specialise in providing exercise to people who are unwell, injured or have a disability. Exercise Physiologist’s can work with after a change in health like pulling a muscle or help with something that is ongoing such as difficulty walking or running Exercise is the main treatment method for Exercise Physiologist’s. It is a hands off profession where the client is encouraged to take control of their health through changing their lifestyle.
Our exercise physiologists can help you to:
- Improve balance and coordination
- Get better at running, jumping, catching and throwing
- Increase movement around the home and community
- Put in place strategies to help with weight loss
- Be involved in physical activities in the community
Our exercise physiologists can also teach your parent or carer:
- How to help you do your exercises
- How to support you to be involved in physical activities in the community
- Strategies to support you with weight loss
Aquatic Therapy
Our Aquatic Therapy services are offered at the ultra-modern facilities at King George V, Glenorchy, Hobart’s Doone Kennedy Aquatic Centre and the Launceston Aquatic Centre.
- The pools offers change rooms, pools hoists, and exercise equipment
- All staff are trained in First Aid, Life Support and Hydrotherapy Pool Rescue
- We welcome referrals from GPs, Physiotherapists, other Allied Health Professionals
- Clients can utilise a range of funding for programs
- Most clients will need at least 2 sessions with the Aquatic Physiotherapist
- Hydrotherapy, also known as Aquatic Physiotherapy, is a form of physiotherapy conducted in a heated pool. Aquatic Physiotherapy can help relieve pain, promote relaxation, mobilize joints, strengthen muscles, develop balance and coordination, and improve general fitness.
- The Hydrotherapy Pools are heated between 30-35° Celsius which is optimal to achieve the many benefits that this therapeutic approach can offer, such as:
- Muscular relaxation and decreased muscle spasm.
- Decreased pain due to warmth and support.
- Gravity is countered by buoyancy.
- Increased muscle strength and endurance due to the greater resistance in water.
- Improvement in swelling, due to hydrostatic pressure.
- Enhanced balance and stabilization.
- Improved enjoyment and confidence to move better.